EXCLUSIVE: OUR INTERVIEW WITH ANGGUN!

Please tell in a few words who you are, and where you come from.My name is Anggun. I’m a recording artist. My native country is Indonesia. I was born in Jakarta. I arrived in Europe 15 years ago. I’m living now in France. I became a French citizen 10 years ago. It’s in Paris that I met the man that would then become my husband and we are now the lucky parents of a beautiful little girl 🙂

*********************************************************************
What do you think about Turkey? Are there any Turkish Eurovision songs that you remember?

I have travelled to Istanbul a few times and this is one of the most amazing cities I have ever visited. A city full of history and culture in every corner. A living museum. And Turkish food is a delight! Of course I remember Sertab. What a performer! What a song! What a voice! Probably the most impressive Eurovision performance of the decade. And what people will probably learn is that I have wrote a song for Sertab’s international album. The song ‘I Believe’ is a song I specifically wrote for the beautiful and talented Sertab. I always wanted to perform a duet with her but with some unknown reasons, it never happened.

*******************************************
What do you think about our participant “Can Bonomo”. Have you heard any of his songs?

Of course I have listend to Can Bonomo. I think he is a serious contestant. I think Turkey is doing a wise choice in presenting someone like Can Bonomo. He is not a formatted artist. But someone with a true musical identity. I think originality always pays off. Look at Italy last year. They came second. No bookmakers planned it. But at the end, it’s the people who vote. And the public likes to be surprised.

********************************************************************
How confident are you about your song “Echo (You and I)”

I don’t want to start doing predictions. There is no rule or receipe to win Eurovision. It’s a song I co-wrote and I put all my love and energy into it. I had the chance to work with great authors and composers for Echo (You and I) and was lucky enough to have Veronica Ferraro, David Guetta’s mix engineer, to to the final mix. I can’t wait to perform the song live in Azerbaijan and present it to the hundreds of millions of viewers across Europe!

*******************************************
What are your expectations around Eurovision?

Everyone expects to win. But you have to be humble. What I want is to deliver the best stage performance possible.

********************************************************************
Are there any songs that you like from France’s Eurovision history?

I loved Patricia Kaas performance. So classy. I think Amaury Vassili did very well aswell. I like also Natasha St-Pier, Amina and Joelle Ursulle performances.

********************************************************************
Do you have any plans to promote your song in Europe?

I will be travelling to a few countries (Malta, Ukraine, Slovenia, Portugal, Italy, …) and I really hope to come to Turkey if I’m invited 🙂

********************************************************************
What is the story of being a participant in the Eurovision Song Contest? What convinced you to take part in Eurovision?

It seems my name has circulated among the french jury for the last few years but this is the first time France Televisions has contacted me officially. I was very astonished when I received a call from France 3 TV, as I did not expect at all that I would be asked to represent France at this year’s Eurovision songcontest. I felt greatly honored by the proposal and I immediately accepted, of course. I have been a fan of Eurovision since I arrived in Europe, 15 years ago. I think the contest has become a state-of-the-art entertainment show, with great production and visuals. The latest edition in Germany was amazing.

********************************************************************
Have you listened the first songs for this year. If you have, who do you consider as your biggest rival among them?

Yes I’ve listened to all of them but I will not do any predictions. And It’s important to wait to listen to all the songs before making any comments 🙂 One thing for sure, the level seems very high this year.

********************************************************************
Did you use to follow Eurovision Song Contest before? Do you have a fovourite song from the history of the contest?

I always loved Eurovision. When I arrived in Europe 15 years ago I was amazed to see so much frenzy across the continent for a song contest. I think this is fabulous to see people getting so excited for music. I loved Sertab’s performance, I loved Dana’s performance and Ell & Nikki last year were very good. I loved the song.

********************************************************************
Are you planning of any kind of show during your performance in the contest? If you are planning, could you tell us a little about it?

It’s still a secret. But we want some extravaganza. I’ll keep you posted very soon 🙂

********************************************************************
Will there be a %100 English or other language versions of the song? Will there be any remix of it?

Yes there will be a 100% english version of the song and we are planning some dance remixes to be delivered very soon.

********************************************************************
What are your plans after the competition?

I have a tour in France, Belgium and Switzerland with a first concert in Paris on June 13. And my album is being released in more than 15 countries so I will have lots of work after Baku!

********************************************************************
Thank you very much for this interview. Finally, do you have a message for Turkish Eurovision-lovers?

I hope to come soon to Turkey and perform for all of you. Ben zor öpüyorum. Thanks for your support!

Interview by Harun Barlas Gürsoy